HER2 Reactivation through Acquisition of the HER2 L755S Mutation as a Mechanism of Acquired Resistance to HER2-targeted Therapy in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Abstract

<b>Purpose:</b> Resistance to anti-HER2 therapies in HER2⁺ breast cancer can occur through activation of alternative survival pathways or reactivation of the HER signaling network. Here we employed BT474 parental and treatment-resistant cell line models to investigate a mechanism by which HER2⁺ breast cancer can reactivate the HER network under potent HER2-targeted therapies.<b>Experimental Design:</b> Resistant derivatives to lapatinib (L), trastuzumab (T), or the combination (LR/TR/LTR) were developed independently from two independent estrogen receptor ER⁺/HER2⁺ BT474 cell lines (AZ/ATCC). Two derivatives resistant to the lapatinib-containing regimens (BT474/AZ-LR and BT474/ATCC-LTR lines) that showed HER2 reactivation at the time of resistance were subjected to massive parallel sequencing and compared with parental lines. Ectopic expression and mutant-specific siRNA interference were applied to analyze the mutation functionally. <i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> experiments were performed to test alternative therapies for mutant HER2 inhibition.<b>Results:</b> Genomic analyses revealed that the <i>HER2</i>L755S mutation was the only common somatic mutation gained in the BT474/AZ-LR and BT474/ATCC-LTR lines. Ectopic expression of <i>HER2</i>L755S induced acquired lapatinib resistance in the BT474/AZ, SK-BR-3, and AU565 parental cell lines. <i>HER2</i>L755S-specific siRNA knockdown reversed the resistance in BT474/AZ-LR and BT474/ATCC-LTR lines. The HER1/2-irreversible inhibitors afatinib and neratinib substantially inhibited both resistant cell growth and the HER2 and downstream AKT/MAPK signaling driven by <i>HER2</i>L755S <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i><b>Conclusions:</b> HER2 reactivation through acquisition of the <i>HER2</i>L755S mutation was identified as a mechanism of acquired resistance to lapatinib-containing HER2-targeted therapy in preclinical HER2-amplified breast cancer models, which can be overcome by irreversible HER1/2 inhibitors. <i>Clin Cancer Res; 23(17); 5123-34. ©2017 AACR</i>.